INDEPENDENT STUDENT MAGAZINE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT SAN ANTONIO
SEX LO V E &
HIP-HOP
PLUS
PA I S A N O
Photo: Fabian De Soto
SEX LO V E &
HIP-HOP WH AT ’S TH E D EA L? By Jade Cuevas
Think of the last party you attended. Perhaps it was a casual kickback with friends (and friends of friends). Or maybe it was littered with people you had never met. Drake’s “Hotline Bling” or Travis Scott’s “Antidote”, prompting party patrons to smile and “dab” as they danced and drank. As the night went on, you may have noticed a trend: people pairing off in twos. Engrossed in conversation as the laws of proxemics are forfeited, pairs continue the night. Because while parties may start off fun in large groups, the option of finding a bed
mate with may seem more tempting than hitting up a taco truck with your crew. College is prime hook-up time. It offers a community of people in the same age range; so, it’s easy for college students to meet as many new people as they want. And situations can quickly become very heated. So what happens the next day to the couple with natural chemistry that met at the party? Will they see each other again? Where do they stand in terms of their relationship? Sexual partners? Significant others? Bed buddies? Your guess might be as good as theirs.
Photo: Mia Cabello
SEX
( TH E EA S Y F I N D)
A
ccording to the American Psychological Association (APA), recent data has shown that 60 to 80 percent of North American college students have experienced a form of hooking up — many with people they have known for less than 24 hours. A hook-up is defined by most as a casual sexual relationship. Time magazine reported the average college student having five to seven hook-ups during his or her time at college. Those hooking up may be more receptive to the idea of sex positiv-
ity. Local sexologist Melissa Jones, owner of The Sexology Institute and Boutique, defines sex positivity as “being inclusive of everyone and being understanding and loving of all people” — an essential theme of hook-up culture. “Sex positivity is about embracing your own sexuality, being proud of who you are and understanding your own body,” says Jones. “This way, when you are in a relationship with someone, then you can be empowered to tell your partner what you like.” Hook-up culture approaches sex as a business deal — an effective
exchange. Look to a growing fad in hookup culture: dating apps. While the apps claim to be a place to find love and form relationships, college students use them to increase hook-up efficiency. Instead of having to go out, meet people, talk with them before finally confirming if both parties are interested in more, dating apps effectively refine the search. No chatting or small talk needed. But, what’s the big deal — If two people want to have sex with each other, why shouldn’t they? While the idea of two consent-
ing parties empowered by their sexuality does sound great, there is — as always — a downside. Maintaining physical health may seem obvious at first glance: use protection. Easier said than done. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection (CDC), there are 20 million diagnoses of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) each year, about half of the diagnoses belong to people between the age of 15 and 24. In 2015, the CDC also reported that Texas ranked 10th in the U.S. for chlamydia infections (498.3 cases per 100,000 persons). Texas
COMMENTARY:
TINDER, DATING APPS
By Jesus Nieves
“ WH EN I H I T ‘E M / I MA K E ‘E M SAY “A H H ” / S E X BE M Y DAY J OB. ” – PR E T T Y R I C K Y, “GRIND ON ME ”
also ranked 12th in the U.S. for gonorrhea cases (129.8 per 100,000 persons). Although the risk contracting an STD is foreboding enough, mental-health consequences are a feature of hook-up culture as well. Think of the couple from the hypothetical party. These two may hook up and never speak to each other again: their one night is the only experience that connects them. But according to Jones, that connection may mean more than you think. “You make a connection with that person (a sexual partner) on
a chemical level, no matter what,” Jones states. The chemical level of sex is to some strong stuff: there’s dopamine (pleasure) and serotonin (ecstasy), but the real bomb to be prepared for is oxytocin — or more commonly known as the “love drug” or “cuddle chemical.” This chemical makes us humans want to bond with another person. And while small things like hugs and handholding can stimulate the chemical, sex is when the chemical has the biggest reaction. According to the APA, oxy-
tocin increases the chances of feeling guilt, shame and in some cases experiencing depression after a one-night stand. In one study conducted, 72 percent of women and 32 percent of men agreed with this statement: “I feel guilty or would feel guilty about having sexual intercourse with someone I had just met.” And while both genders have different post-sex reactions, a cycle of shutting on and off the “love drug’s” effects has undeniable negative reactions.
Meeting someone new, deciding where to go on a first date, figuring out what you want in a relationship: dating is a challenge — especially for college students with busy schedules. Luckily, we live in the age of technology. With dating apps such as Tinder, dating is now as easy as a few taps on a phone. I never considered going on Tinder until about a year ago when a couple of my friends convinced me to give it a try. Most people I knew had a Tinder account, but used it only every once in awhile. After some convincing, I finally gave in and created a profile. But I still had my doubts. During the first few weeks, I got on the app to look at some of the profiles out of curiosity and boredom. Some of the profiles were serious, while others were clearly made for fun. It was amusing to see people from high school and fellow college classmates while scrolling through the app. As months went on, I messaged a few people on Tinder, but never went on a date with any of them. While it was fun to talk to some new people, many of the matches did not want to make the commitment to meet in person. Nevertheless, I ended up making two new friends via Tinder. While I did not meet my “perfect match”, it seems that one of my friends did: she met her current boyfriend of a year on Tinder. Her relationship is an example of the best case scenario of what can happen on dating apps, and has altered my own personal view of Tinder. I always thought dating apps were just for desperate people; however, because of the fast paced lifestyle of college students, dating apps make meeting people easier, serving as an alternative way of finding out what the dating world has to offer.
Photo: Mia Cabello
LO V E (A RA R I T Y)
T
hink of the last time you went on a date. Who were you with? How did you feel? When thinking of the word “date” the mental image in our mind goes to the cinematic shot of a couple sitting at a table in a restaurant playing the classic game of “getting to know each other” before having a goodnight kiss. Dating commonly assessed as a one-on-one event a couple partakes in to spend quality time together. In reality though, college dating is much different. “There is no actual dating. There’s no getting to know anybody,” says college student and kinesiology major Emily Harwood. “Before I started college, I thought ‘Oh, it must be easy; everybody’s dating,’ But really, everybody was just hooking up.” For both Harwood and Jones, dating has turned into less of a “get to know you” event and more of a “let’s have sex and see where it goes” event. Additionally, Jones explains how dating as a two person event has increasingly been replaced for group setting like parties and bars. While some relationships may develop from a hook-up, forming and seeking for romantic relationships through hooking up is problematic. “If you keep seeing them — even if they might not be the right person for you as far as your goals and values — and then bond to them on a sexual level, that may be all that is keeping you two together months or years down the road,” Jones says. “You won’t have any of the other value systems holding you together and then your relationship falls
apart.” Jones explains how each relationship needs an intellectual connection. Sex is the glue to a healthy relationship. Intellectual connection shouldn’t be hard to find when in college — the center of knowledge — right? Wrong. Hook-up culture has dominated the dating field and become such a prevalent factor in many college students’ lives that the International Women’s Forum (IWF) found that one-third of college seniors have been on fewer than two dates. “This is the ‘Netflix and chill era,’ but it’s just sad because there’s so much potential for really incredible sex in a fantastic relationship,” Harwood says. “Our generation is so afraid of having a real connection that we just stay with ‘Netflix & chill’ because something better scares everybody.” College students are often at a crossroads between holding out for a relationship with opportunities for meaningful intimacy or finding a convenient sexual partner to spend the night with. According to Harwood’s findings, most people opt for convenient sex. “It feels like if I’m not dirty texting by the first date or sending nudes they (guys) will be like ‘Okay, bye. You’re a waste of my time,’” she says. “Or they don’t invest enough time after one or two texts or phone calls — not even phone calls — just texts.” And if two parties want to have a hook up, it’s fine, but neither should expect anything more. “I mean I guess if you’re looking at it (sex) purely as an outlet — recreation —
than you’re getting your aerobic exercise,” Jones says. “But I don’t think it would work long-term. There are a lot of studies that show that isn’t healthy for you.” Dating apps are easy — there is a minimal time and energy investment. Who has any spare time in college? There are only 168 hours within one week. According to the National Survey of Student Engagement 2015 results, the average college student will spend about 15-16 hours each week preparing for classes. That number would be bumped up during midterms, finals, and major project or paper deadlines. Many college students have parttime jobs and hectic schedules. Add time taken for social life student organization involvement, and students are busier than they thought was possible. So where does that leave dating? Co-founders of the popular dating app Tinder, Sean Rad and Justin Mateen told Time Magazine the app was created with relationships in mind, but Rad explained that the app isn’t meant to be taken too seriously. “Nobody joins Tinder because they’re looking for something,” Rad says. “They join because they want to have fun. It doesn’t even matter if you match because swiping is so fun.” “Convenient,” “easy,” “short-term,” “no string attached” and “fun” : all terms used to describe college dating. Nevertheless, As “fun” as it is, college students are in a short-term hook-ups.
COMMENTARY:
“ A R E W E DATI N G? / A R E W E F * * * I N G? / A R E W E BES T F R I EN DS? / A R E W E S O M E TH I N G I N BE TW E EN TH AT ? ” – CH I LD I SH G A M BI N O, “ H EA R T BEAT ”
LOVE IS WORTH IT
By Alyssa Gonzales On the expedited conveyor belt to adulthood, we are trained to focus on our future and the actions that will get us there, and love gets filed into the “when I’m older” compartment of our minds. If there is one thing that should not be pushed aside or done halfheartedly, it is love. College students are commonly told that their college relationships likely wont last and that they have their whole lives ahead of them to find and discover love. What a double standard. If we, college-attending adults, cannot be trusted to believe in our emotions or know ourselves even when our words fail us, how can we be expected to choose a major or career path — equally important life decisions? Has love become an unnecessary distraction from the rest of our lives? The way I see it, our priorities have become skewed. The more we focus on our career paths and ourselves, the lonelier we become. We become so caught up in where we think we need to be, that the relationships we create are shallow. We want no strings attached. We want no hard feelings. We want something to pass the time. Why does it seem like no one is willing to risk everything for love? Is raw emotion so foreign and terrifying that careless hookups are the desired or the ideal option? I have been advised not to waste my time and energy on one person, that a relationship limits my options to live and be a typical college student. I’ve been told that love and commitment should come later in life — as if love is a mundane adult responsibility. But that’s not a sacrifice I’m willing to make. Love can be beautiful if it is given a chance. It can blossom when both parties invest themselves completely.
HIP-HOP ( TH E C O M M O N D EN O M I NATOR)
A
s people start to pair off during this hypothetical party, the hook-up culture anthem plays in the background: hip-hop. It’s no secret that most chart-topping hip-hop songs deal exclusively and explicitly with sex. And while hip-hop is certainly not the first to claim this theme — classic Marvin Gaye — modern hip-hop has become increasingly more upfront about the topic. •“Last thing I remember is our beautiful bodies grinding up in the club / Drunk in love.” – Beyoncé, “Drunk in Love” •“Let me ride you through the night / I’m a sexaholic and I’m cool with it.” – Genuine, “Sex” •“We could get it poppin’ on the living room floor / ‘Til I hear you holla baby gimme more.” Jerimih, “Birthday Sex” While these lyrics don’t seem to mean much when they are being casually hummed in the car with a peppy beat, taking the time to read them so can make some people feel almost provocative. Something as small as a charttopping song’s lyrics carries a bigger message. DJ, rapper and resident UTSA assistant professor of bicultural-bilingual studies Marco Cervantes explains how lyrics have a bigger meaning to us than we initially think. “Is it (hip-hop) reflective of relationships of hook up culture? Does it maybe also impact it? I think so,” Cervantes says. “I think it could be dangerous, as well, if some of these lyrics and content are considered the norm — especially in relation to women.” A 2008 Public Health Report studied 279 of Billboard’s top songs finding that about 40 percent of the songs contained sexual references. Of those songs, 64 percent included lyrics about degrading sex (in which one person objectifies another) In rap music and
about 28 percent from hip-hop music. Of these songs, most of the degrading sexual references objectified women. What impacts does it have on people who repeatedly listen these songs? When you’re at a party and a group of people are singing along to subject matter of “f**ked three h*es I met this week” (Travis Scott) and “I got what you need, come f**k with me” (Nelly), perhaps those lyrics start to subconsciously be considered as permissible sexual behaviors. College students begin to internalize a hip-hop artist’s mentality: do what they want, when they want it. Ever see a group of drunk college students belt out Drake’s “All Me” — an anthem of Drake’s self-achievements — flawlessly adopting his persona? For that line they believe that they “… Got b*tches in my condo / Just bought a shirt that cost a Mercedes-Benz car note.” It’s not a pretty sight. Hip-hop, which has been around since the 1970s, has become the front runner of pop culture within the past few years. It’s the main staple at a quintessential college party, the songs played at all clubs (even Cowboys Dancehall) and overall a hot topic of conversation in media and workplace chit chat (Meek Mill/Drake feud). In other words, if you want to be cool, you know hip-hop. “I’m seeing it grow in popularity,” Cervantes says. “It’s one of those genres that of music that you can put out material very quickly and make it very accessible and I think that’s appealing for a lot of young people especially.” Though hip-hop’s subject matter is questionable at times for many people, there has been an increased interest in what other hip-hop artists have to say. “So I see it as, they (sex-centered lyrics) could have an impact and it could be potentially dangerous and misread as reality — depending on the song, though,” Cervantes says. “I’m thinking about some artists that talk
about relationships in more complex ways.” He mentions J. Cole as one of his main points of focus. With lyrics like “I care about you, so I’ll wait / you don’t need to say anything / you just need to know that,” J. Cole raps about the complexity of relationships — an approach that is still considered fairly new for hip-hop. “I think artists are taking more of a stand now,” Cervantes says. “Mainstream artists are starting to complicate notions of relationships — I’m thinking about J. Cole — that touches on aspects of vulnerability as well, which is something I don’t remember growing up with artists like Ice Cube or Notorious B.I.G, where you’re not necessarily being ‘cool’ if you were talking about relationships.” This theme of sensitivity has started to spread to other mainstream hip-hop artists like Nicki Minaj, who defended her relationship with fiancé Meek Mill. A podcast poked fun about Mill becoming “too sappy” since making more music with Minaj. “Why would you be bothered by another man showing love to his girl?” she tweeted. “Let’s celebrate black love. All the best w/ur podcast. All jokes aside.” It seems there’s a slow but steady shift happening throughout hip-hop. Cervantes notes the change specifically with influential rapper Kendrick Lamar, whose album To Pimp a Butterfly, made waves for issues of racial injustice. “I’m definitely seeing a change,” Cervantes says. “Not only in romantic relationships but racial differences. As hip-hop begins to change, maybe college students’ sex-centric lives will shift to deeper meanings and issues as well. Time will tell. Ironically, Cervantes never thought hip-hop would be this influential. “When I was younger, a lot of people claimed hip-hop was going to die.”
Photo: Mia Cabello
COMMENTARY: Hip Hop’s Misogyny Problem
By Caroline Traylor
“ A N D H E TE L L I N G M E I T ’S R EA L / TH AT H E LO V E M Y S E X A P P EA L. ” – N I C K I M I NA J, “ A NA C O N DA ”
S O WH AT ’S TH E D EA L? ( R E V I S I T E D)
Dating is hard. It’s extremely hard. Sifting through people to connect with is not an easy task at any age. Yet, despite knowing how hard it is, people is strangely optimistic. “I think there has always been a level of complication,” Jones says. “But now, we as a society talk about it more — which I think is good. College students have been having sex for years but haven’t been talking about it. Maybe not to the level they are now, but it’s always been happening.” And Harwood is the most optimistic. “I want to believe that it will change. I so badly want to do something, somehow to
reach out to everybody and say, ‘Do you see what’s going on? How can we better ourselves?’” As a college student, Harwood refuses to play by its rules or lose hope. “I feel what we are doing right now is not great. Not that it (hook-up culture) is degrading, but it’s not helping either.” There is no one aspect of college culture or society to blame for college students’ blasé approach to dating and relationships. The only way to find the connection is to get out and try — preferably with Drake’s “Right Hand” as an anthem.
Being a woman who loves hip-hop is the ultimate internal conflict. While it is by far my favorite genre of music, sometimes it feels like I’m in a toxic relationship with hip-hop. At the beginning of the relationship things were exciting, meaningful and provocative; but somewhere along the way our relationship took a misogynistic turn, characterized by verbal abuse that interchanges “woman” with “bitch” or “hoe”. I see the good in you and that leaves me with glimmers of hope; Nevertheless, I feel twinges of guilt as I twerk. Every genre of music is guilty of having sexist elements, but in hiphop, they are much more explicit. In his 2013 song “U.O.E.N.O.” rapper Rick Ross boasts about drugging and raping a woman with, “put molly in her champagne/ she ain’t even know it/ I take her home and enjoy that/ she ain’t even know it”. A more recent example is a tweet from one of hiphop’s most successful and revered artists, Kanye West, who stated, “BILL COSBY INNOCENT !!!!!!!!!!” Even the supposedly sensitive voice of hiphop Drake’s hit “Hotline Bling” is a bitter, sad-boy anthem as he bemoans his ex’s newfound sense of independence with, “ever since I left the city
you/ you got exactly what you asked for/ running out of pages on your passport/ hanging with some girls I’ve never seen before.” There are women in hip-hop who enjoy commercial success and demand respect in a male-dominated industry, but even they are not safe from double-standards. This was made especially evident in 2014 when Nicki Minaj released the album art for her single “Anaconda”. The Young Money artist known for going toe-to-toe with all of your favorite male rappers (outshining the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye in her “Monster” verse) appeared squatted in a pink sports bra, blue sneakers and a pink g-string, proudly displaying her voluptuous posterior. There was backlash as the owner of allhiphop. com wrote an open letter to Minaj expressing his disappointment and citing his fatherhood to a young daughter as the source. Pandora censored the image as think pieces spread throughout the internet claiming that Minaj was selling sex. Where was all of this paternalistic concern for the ornamental, scantilyclad women in Nelly, 2 Chainz and Snoop Dogg’s videos? These often faceless women are deduced to their body Continued on page 30